Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister (CM) Akhilesh Yadav Govt. has sent a proposal to the Centre to seek inclusion of 17 backwards castes in the Schedule Caste category. "As per the promise made by the Samajwadi Party in its election manifesto, I have sent a proposal demanding SC status to 17 backwards castes to the Centre," Mr Yadav said while addressing a 'Backward Castes Sammelan' at the party office here. The proposal covers 17 backward castes, includes Kahar, Kashyap, Kewat, Nishad, Bind, Bhar, Prajapati, Rajbhar, Batham, Gaur, Tura, Majhi, Mallah, Kumhar, Dheemar and Machua.

The CM claimed that Samajwadi Party supremo and former state Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav had sent this proposal to the Central government in his earlier stint, but the same was withdrawn by previous Mayawati government. "SP has always remained concerned about the upliftment of these backwards castes, but the absence of recent figures on number of people belonging to backward castes in the country, pose a hindrance in implementation of schemes," Mr Yadav asserted. The campaign started by Mulayam Singh Yadav led the Centre to give its nod to a caste-based census, he added. UP CM further chided the Mayawati government for derailing development in the state in her regime and misusing peoples' funds. The SP government in 2005 had amended the UP Public Services Act, 1994, to include as many as 17 castes from the OBCs in the SC category. But, since the power to declare any caste as 'scheduled' rests with the Centre, the then UP government's decision, taken without the Centre's consent, proved in fructuous.